I arrived home from California after dark last night. An accident stopped traffic for nearly an hour near Quartzsite. I said prayers for the injured and was thankful that medical help was close by them. Didn’t get to see the mountains until this morning.

Being on the road longer than anticipated wasn’t all bad. Sunset was spectacular.

I hadn’t planned to be away so long. I waited along with my good friends, for the arrival of their grandson. Baby’s birth was imminent. There were contractions for goodness sake! But still no baby. He is having fun teasing us.

The shower was a huge success. The canvas I painted looks great in the nursery. I had a blurry photo of the crib quilt to work from. I used the stylized branches and leaves. The palette is based on the quilt as well.

I came home with a few good deals and an awesome made-in-U.S.A.-by-a-Native-American-and- Veteran-of-the-United-States-Army, pencil and brush holder. I had an idea and told my friend about it. What he built trumped my complicated idea. I purchased pencil holders from the Dollar Tree, and he did the rest. (He is taking orders BTW.)

I had these items in baskets on my desk. I liked the look, but it was taking up valuable work space. Now I can quickly free up more space, and everything is closer at hand. Love it! I am thinking of painting or staining it. I love the raw natural wood, but you can never have enough color!

I managed to do some sketching for pattern ideas. I worked on some small watercolors sketches too. Still catching up on email and visiting blogs to see the 30 in 30 collages. I missed you all so much!